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48 hours in Bratislava wasn't enough time to check facts for the Scotsman
Another article about Bratislava with a few quirks showing sloppy fact-checking - a 48 hours in Bratislava in the Scotsman Travel section on July 19, 2010 (less than a year since we called the Daily Mirror on their misleading piece):
Charlotte Gorman says you should get your bearings on Saturday on the steam powered red tourist train leaving from the Main Square. The train is in fact called Presporacik and is run by our friends at Tour4U. The agency's Fero Fabian says it is powered by propane butane gas: "The most ecological commonly accessible fuel." He says the engine does emit steam and CO2 and Charlotte's next Presporacik train ride around the Old Town is on the house. We challenge her to take a snap of the train steaming along.
Sending people to the Hotel Kyjev for Saturday lunch is a risque move. The Kyjev has many strengths but lunches are not among them and likely even less so on a weekend when the usual two set lunch options are unavailable. So no, if you only have 48 hours to spend in Bratislava see the Kyjev for architecture and ambience but eat lunch somewhere nice.
But then again having saved so much on lunch the Scotsman sends you to the city's most expensive, the U-F-O. In that price range we would perhaps send you to the Camouflage and have coffee at the UFO.
On Sunday the article tells you to walk up to the castle although it is closed until 2013. Actually parts are already open, so by all means walk up and consider visiting.
The National Gallery recommended next is a fair choice athough the characterisation ("houses the nation's treasures") is inept. Bagel Story recommended for a cost-effective lunch has a Coffee part to the story and is in fact called the Bagel and Coffee Story (several locations around the old town). 
Finally, Gorman recommends the opera in the historical building of the Slovak National Theatre. She should have also told you the next performance is a month and a half away since Slovak theatres take long summer vacations.
All in all, six questionable statements in nine paragraphs. Next time, just ask. We love Bratislava and are happy to check facts for journalists as a courtesy.
(July 19, 2010 by Andrej Salner, BratislavaHotels.com Staff)
